High-explosive armor-piercing shell

ABSTRACT

A high explosive armor piercing shell having a shell body containing an explosive charge. A sabot is formed at the front end of the body and a hard core projects from the front end of the body with which the sabot cooperates. The hard core is in the shape of a bolt having an end portion secured to the sabot. The front end of the body is in the form of a plate integral with the shell body. The hard core is located in a ballistic cap secured to the front end of the body. The hard core has a peripheral groove cut into its rear portion, and the front end of the body has a beaded edge which engages the groove.

United States Patent [191 Muller 1 1 May 8, 1973 54] HIGH-EXPLOSIVE ARMOR-PIERCING 3,507,221 4 1970 Grolly ..102/52 SHELL FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [75] Inventor: Kurt Muller, 8157 Dielsdorf, Switzefland 573,914 12 1945 Great Britain ..1o2 52 i. .Q. a 866,323 4/1941 France ..102/52 [73] Assignee: Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon- Bum-la sw'tzefland Primary Examiner-Verlin R. Pendegrass 22 d; l 29, 1970 Attorney-Wenderoth, Lind 8L Ponack [21]v Appl.No.: 59,136 [51] ABSTRACT I A A high explosive armor piercing shell having a shell [30] Forms Apphcatlon Priority Data body containing an explosive charge. A sabot is Aug. 5, 1969 Switzerland ..ll861/69 formed at the front end of the body and a hard core projects from the front end of the body with which the [52] US. Cl. ..102/52 sabot cooperates, The hard core is in the shape of a [51] Int. Cl ..F42b 13/06 bolt having an end portion secured to the sabot. The [58] Field of Search ..l02/52, 56 from end of the body is in the form of a plate integral with the shell body. The hard core is located in a bal- References Cited listic cap secured to the front end of the body. The

hard core has a peripheral groove cut into its rear por- UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 tion, and the front end'of the body has a beaded edge 741,328 10/1903 Groff ..l02/52 which engages the groove. 911,591 2/1909 Hoxic ..l02/52 932,014 8/ 1909 Haase ..102/52 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures I I l5 10 I J j t HIGH-EXPLOSIVE ARMOR-PIERCING SHELL The invention relates to a high-explosive armorpiercing shell, comprising a shell body which contains the explosive charge.

A known armor-piercing shell of this kind has a thick walled shell body filled with explosive. The explosive is primed by means of a base-fuze. Where sufficient resistance is offered by the target the fuze strikes and the shell body is broken up into individual fragments which are accelerated in the direction of the target, by the impellent force of the detonation wave. Said known armor-piercing shell has the disadvantage that the penetrating power of the fragments is only very limited,

due to their fineness. This is particularly the case with regard to so-called gradated targets, i.e., armor consisting of several plates which are spaced apart, e.g., a fuselage. The initial resistance of the target causes the shell to detonate, and the energy of fragmentation is not powerful enough to penetrate all the plates.

The aim of the invention is to obviate this disadvantage and provide a high-explosive armor-piercing shell which has considerable penetrating power and is particularly suitable for combatting gradated targets. An armor-piercing shell according to the invention comprising a shell body containing an explosive charge, and a hard core projecting from the front end of said shell body in which said front end forms a sabot for supporting said hard core. V

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a first example of a shell according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through a second example ofa shell according to the invention, and

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the mode of action of thearmor-piercing shells of FIGS. 1 and 2 when penetrating a multi-layer armor-plating.

With reference to FIG. 1, the shell has a shell body 1, in which is located an explosive charge 2. The front end of the substantially cylindrical shell body 1 is formed by a sabot 3 for a hard core 5. The sabot 3 has an extension 4 in the form of a boss having a bore, into which there projects the hard core 5 in the shape of a bolt. The rear end of the hard core 5 has an annular groove 6 into which the extension 4 protrudes, to form, a collar, thus preventing said core 5 from dropping out of extension 4. The front end 7 of hard core 5 tapers comically to a point. The hard core 5 projects into a ballistic cap 8 which is held secure in a peripheral groove 9 at the front end of the shell body 1.

Screwed into the rear end of shell body 1 is a housing 10 for a base-fuze 15. On the outer periphery of this housing 10 is a joining ring 11. The base-fuze located within housing 10 is of a known type. At the front, the explosive charge 2 is supported upon the sabot 3, whilst its rear end is prevented from moving by a supporting plate 12. The rear end of shell body 1 has an internal thread 13 into which both the supporting plate 12 and the housing 10 are screwed. The supporting plate 12 has a central bore 14 through which the base-fuze 15 can prime the explosive charge 2.

The example of the high-explosive armor-piercing shell shown in FIG. 2, differs from the shell which has just been described in respect of a shell case 16 in which is located shell body 17 forming a canister for an explosive-charge 24. The front end of the substantially cylindrical explosives canister 17 is formed by a sabot 18 for a hard core 20. The sabot 18 contains a central tapped hole 19, into which is screwed the rear end of the hard core 20. The front end of the hard core 20 has a conical tip 21. The shell case 16 also forms a ballistic cap which encircles the hard core 20.

In the vicinity of the sabot 18, the shell case 16 has a peripheral slot which securely retains a driving band 22. The shell case 16 is made of a light metal, and the driving band 22 is made of steel. The outside of the explosives canister 17 has a number of grooves 23 forming points of rupture, at which the explosives canister 17 is broken up into individual splinters-upon detonation of the explosive charge 24, contained therein. At the front, explosive charge 24 is supported upon a supporting plate 25 which bears against the sabot 18, whilst its rear end is prevented from moving by a supporting element 26. The rear end of the explosives canister 17 has an internal thread 27, into which the supporting element 26 is screwed until it comes to rest against the explosive charge 24. The shell case 16 has, at its rear end, an external thread onto which is screwed known type and is screwed into an internal thread in the housing 29. Through a central bore 33 in the supporting element 26, the base-fuze 31 is able to prime the explosive charge 24.

The mode of operation of the two examples described above is as follows: 4

The shell is projected against a gradated target which is shown in FIG. 3. The gradated target consists of a number of 1 mm thick steel plates 34 and a relatively thicker armor plate 35.

The high-explosive armor-piercing shell shatters the outermost plates 34 as a result of fragmentation and detonation pressure in the area surrounding the point of impact 36, as is indicated by the cone of fragmentation 37. Thus, the sabot 3 or 18 is now in a position to penetrate several steel plates 34, as indicated by the path 38 of the sabot. The hard core 5 or 20 reaches a position in which it will pass right through the gradated target including the armor-plate 35, as indicated by the path 39 of the hard core.

A numerical example will serve to illustrate this great penetrating power of the hard core. When the charge explodes, the resultant detonation pressure is: p=l0 kilogram force/cm I0 Newton/m The time during which this pressure p is effective is approximately t 10 seconds. The diameter of the sabot 3, 18 is approximately 25 millimeters. Thus the detonation pressure acts upon an area of approximately 5X10 m*. The impulse imparted to the sabot is calculated according to From this impulse, it is possible to calculate the velocity v l/m at which the sabot 3, 18 and hard core 5, 20 are accelerated, the resultant mass of the two bodies totalling approximately 0.1 kg. This velocity must be added to the impact velocity of the shell, so that the resultant penetrating power of the hard core is relatively high as compared to known armor piercing shells.

Iclaim:

1. A projectile, such as an armor piercing shell, comprising a cylindrical shell body; an axial bore in said shell body containing a bursting charge; a sabot in the form of a disc, integral with said shell body, closing said bore at the front end of said shell body; peripheral groove means in the front part of said shell body forming a predetermined breaking line between said shell body and said sabot to prevent destruction of said sabot by said bursting charge upon detonation thereof; a hard core comprising a cylindrical bolt, said hard core attached to said sabot and extendingly longitudinally forward therefrom, the diameter of said hard core being substantially smaller than the diameter of said sabot and of said bore; said sabot forming a driving disc means for separating from said shell body and imparting added acceleration to said hard core upon said detonation.

2. A projectile according to claim 1 in which said bolt has an end portion secured to said sabot.

3 A projectile according to claim 1 in which said hard core is located in a ballistic cap secured to said front end of said body.

4. A projectile according to claim 1 in which said hard core has a peripheral groove in its rear portion, and said front end has a beaded edge which engages said groove.

5. A projectile according to claim 1 in which the rear portion of said hard core is threaded and engages in a corresponding thread in said front end.

6. A projectile according to claim 1 wherein said shell body is provided with a base fuze. 

1. A projectile, such as an armor piercing shell, comprising a cylindrical shell body; an axial bore in said shell body containing a bursting charge; a sabot in the form of a disc, integral with said shell body, closing said bore at the front end of said shell body; peripheral groove means in the front part of said shell body forming a predetermined breaking line between said shell body and said sabot to prevent destruction of said sabot by said bursting charge upon detonation thereof; a hard core comprising a cylindrical bolt, said hard core attached to said sabot and extendingly longitudinally forward therefrom, the diameter of said hard core being substantially smaller than the diameter of said sabot and of said bore; said sabot forming a driving disc means for separating from said shell body and imparting added acceleration to said hard core upon said detonation.
 2. A projectile according to claim 1 in which said bolt has an end portion secured to said sabot.
 3. A projectile according to claim 1 in which said hard core is located in a ballistic cap secured to said front end of said body.
 4. A projectile according to claim 1 in which said hard core has a peripheral groove in its rear portion, and said front end has a beaded edge which engages said groove.
 5. A projectile according to claim 1 in which the rear portion of said hard core is threaded and engages in a corresponding thread in said front end.
 6. A projectile according to claim 1 wherein said shell body is provided with a base fuze. 